2. Abhimanyu was killed by a blow on his head delivered by Dushasana's son.However, he killed Duryodhana's son before this happened. What was Duryodhana's son's name? [Hint: Same name as a major character in Ramayana.]

3. Complete the series -Hiranyaksha & Hiranyakashipu. Ravana and Kumbhakarna. ____& ____? [Hint: One was forgiven 100 times by Krishna.]

4. Name the only Kaurava (among the 100 brothers) to have survived the war. [Hint: Name begins with the second last letter of the English alphabet]

5. Connect the Manhattan project to the Mahabharata

6. Shashi Tharoor based his "Great Indian Novel" after the Mahabharata. Who was modelled after Karna? [Hint: Karna was born with the mark of a crescent moon and star on his forehead. Think Indian independence movement.]

7. Everyone recalls that Hanuman adorned the flag of Arjuna. What adorned the flag of Karna {Hint: Same object as in the title of a Tintin comic set in the Far East.]

8. 1. What was the significance in Indian chronology of the day Abhimanyu's son Parikshit was anointed king? {Hint: Start of a time period in which we live today.]

9. Vikarna was one of the Kauravas. He did something unusual in court. He actually sided with the 'other side'. This was much before the war, in which he fought on the side of the Kauravas. What did he do in court? [Hint: Think last few scenes of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron scene with Satish Shah.]

10. Yayati and Sharmistha had three sons, Druhyu, Anudruhyu and _____ [Hint: Ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas]

14 Comments:

1. The names Yudhishthir gave to himself and his four brothers when entering Virat's country. (As I recall, they were the names they used when hanging the weapons in a corpse in a tree. They changed their names again before entering the court.)

2. Lakshman

3. Shishupala and Duntvakra (incarnations of Jay and Vijay, who had been cursed to take birth several times for annoying some visitor to Brahma's abode).

4. Yuyutsu. Also known as Vikarna. (I'm not sure he was a Kaurava proper though. Wasn't he born of Dhritarashtra's union with a maidservant?)

5. Only thing I can think of is the way Pasupata is summoned, and it is called the Ultimate Weapon. (Is it the same as Brahmastra, which Ashwatthama apparently tried to use on Uttara's then unborn child?) There is said to be some similarity between the divine weapons players on both sides had and nuclear weapons. Oppenheimer apparently said that he recalled the line from the Gita about becoming death itself when he watched the first bomb drop.

1. Codenames the Pandavas and Draupadi were to use to summon help if in trouble during the agyaatvaas. Draupadi used them when being dragged to Keechak's funeral pyre to be burnt, calling for her "five Gandharva husbands".

The kauravas were born off the the piece of meat that was delivered to drithrashtra.It fell down and broke to a hundred and one pieces. They were preserved in 101 pots of ghee on the advice of Vyasa weren't they?

Both of you are wrong.@Anon - Gandhari never had any special boon/potion. That was Kunti (mother of Pandavas)

@Mridhu - It was not a piece of meat that was delivered. Hastinapur was visited by the Vyas Rishi who was taken care of by Gandhari. Pleased with her he granted her a boon of having 100 sons. Even after 2 years of pregnancy she didn't yield, when she finally did it was a large, lifeless piece of flesh. When she and Dhritrashtra were about to throw it away Vyas appeared and asked Gandhari to get 100jars of ghee. Then he cut the the piece in 101 piece (100 sons, 1 daughter) and filled one jar with each. These were opened after 2 years. That is how Pandavas were born

Yuyutsu wos not among the 100 kouravas. he is the son of dhrutharashtra to a maid. He was not the one who spoke against dice and droupati vastraharan. It was Vikarna, one among the 100 Kouravas(101 incl. dussala). Yuyutsu fought against the Kouravas and was the only survivor among dhrutharashtra's sons. Vikarna fought along with kourava side and was killed by Bhima after a brave fight, Bhima was deeply moved and exclaimed: "Alas, O Vikarna, you were just and knew what was DHARMA ! You fought in loyal obedience to the call of duty. I had to kill even you. Indeed this battle is a curse upon us wherein men like you and the grandsire Bhishma have had to be slaughtered."